Life in the K-lane

New Powerful “Green-ish” Bentley

Kay — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:15:52 +0000

By Kay Layne

Stay tuned for more info. Bentley's newest creation.

The good folks over at Bentley said today that they will be unveiling their new Supercar on March 3^rd. They are not saying much, but they claim it will be their fastest and most powerful production car ever. It will also be “Green-ish” and will run of FlexFuel Technology.

So what this means is it would beat their 200 mph Bentley Continental GT. Yea!

My loyal tree huggers will also be happy to know that Bentley plans to have its whole lineup operating on FlexFuel by 2012. So while this will probably not be the most environmentally friendly car in the world, it definitely makes my “Green-ish” list.

Hopefully I will have more to share before the third. I will let you know the moment I do.

Move over General Motors, Toyota is number 1

Kay — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:31:46 +0000

By Kay Layne

For the first time in decades Toyota Motor Corp. has outsold General Motors Corp. to become the world’s biggest automaker. Toyota outsold GM in 2008.

There was another first for Toyota. The automaker reported company’s first full-year operating loss in more than 50 years.

Akihiko Otsuka, (L)chief engineer and Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of Toyota after the third-generation 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid made its world debut at the North American International Auto Show.

That being said both automakers reported lower sales last year. Toyota inched in to first place by selling 8.97 cars and trucks approximately 620 000 more unites than GM.

General Motors North America President Troy Clarke introduces the Chevrolet Orlando seven-seat compact multi-purpose car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. ( I am not a fan of this one)

Toyota unveils the 2010 Prius

Kay — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:22:31 +0000

by Kay Layne

The 2009 North American International Auto show is presently underway in Detroit. This year the big buzz is around all the new hybrids and electric vehicles.

Today at the show Toyota introduced the third generation of its very successful hybrid – the 2010 Prius. Launched back in 1997 this full hybrid has been setting hybrid sales records for the automaker.

Bob Carter, Toyota vice president and general manager

The new model has a stronger 1.8 –liter four-cylinder engine under the hood. The new hybrid is 0.6 inches longer and 0.8 inches wider than the previous model. Toyota claims this bigger model will go further. The carmaker is estimating 50mpg combined highway and city.

Courtesy of Toyota

Sales of the 2010 Prius will start in both the U.S. and Japan in late spring, followed shortly by Canada and other countries. Toyota is expecting big numbers, projecting 180 000 cars to be sold in the United States within the first year.

Courtesy of Toyota

Hyundai’s Latest Incentive Plan

Kay — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:39:17 +0000

Can’t pay for your car…. No problem

Hyundai has a new incentive plan that will allow you to give your car back should you lose your job.

Check out the following video for more details.

List of the most frequently stolen cars in Canada for 2008

Kay — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:26:41 +0000

By Kay Layne

We now know which vehicles were most frequently stolen in Canada this year. The Insurance Board of Canada published its findings. What did you think made the top of the charts? Once again a minivan made the list. Here goes….

Most Stolen Vehicles:

1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door

2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door

3. 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door AWD

4. 1995 Dodge/Plymouth Grand Caravan/Voyager

5. 1995 Dodge/Plymouth Caravan/Voyager

6. 2002 Acura RSX Type S 2-door

7. 2001 Audi TT Quattro Roadster

8. 1995 Acura Integra 2-door

9. 1996 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 2-door

10. 1996 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 4-door

On the flip side, here is the list of the least stolen vehicles…

1. (tie 1st) 2003 Cadillac Deville 4-door

(tie 1st) 2002 Lincoln Continental 4-door

(tie 1st) 2001 Lincoln Town Car 4-door

2. 2007 Chevrolet Impala 4-door

3. (tie 3rd) 2001 Toyota Avalon 4-door

(tie 3rd) 1999 Toyota Tacoma 2WD

4. (tie 4th) 2005 Buick Terraza EXT

(tie 4th) 2003 Buick Regal 4-door

(tie 4th) 2002 Toyota Highlander 4-door 2WD

(tie 4th) 2000 Ford/Mercury Taurus/Sable Wagon

GM’s Volt – Electricity hits the streets.

Kay — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:10:10 +0000

Hopefully this car will come to be.

First of all, we have a very cash strapped General Motors. Will a government bailout come in the nick of time?

Secondly, the Volt a plug-in hybrid has used big chunk of the company’s product development budget. A huge R&D cost is not that bad if the vehicle would drive in huge sales however by GM’s own admission, the Volt won’t make money. The level that they will be able to price it will not support the cost needed to build it. This green car will need government incentives to help it sell.

Thirdly, there is the battery challenge. The rush is on to develop an affordable and safe lithium-ion battery.

That being said I think the Volt is kind of cool.

Take a look for yourself.

iPhone Automotive Applications

Kay — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:28:37 +0000

I must admit that I am somewhat “cellular-ly” challenged. I get a cell phone, learn its features and use the phone. I will continue to use the phone until one of the following two things happen; I break the phone or my brother gets embarrassed that I am still using the outdated model and switches it.

So when some of my friends took the day off and lined up for iPhones, I must admit that I did not quite get the hype. (Kind of like the New Kids on the Block’s comeback tour, however I digress.)

Wouldn't Soon to be Middle Aged Men on the Street or STBMAMOTS be a more appropriate name?

When not writing about cars, I work in a financial news station. Chatter about the new iPhone was everywhere, I wonder if Jesus will get such press when he comes back. Once again I digress.

If you don’t want to join them the least one could do is understand them. So I decided to see what cool applications the iPhone has for the automotive world.

GPS Mapping

Now instead of calling someone and asking for directions or “Mapquest-ing” on your phone; the new iPhone comes with GPS enabled mapping. The cell can tell you where you are, where to go (Yellow pages) and how to get there. You can plot travel times, routes, and where to full up. Now before you throw you car nav system out of the window, the phone has one draw back, no voice controls. So it can not be used while driving unless you have a co-pilot in the passenger’s seat.

G-Park

For all of you forget people who misplace things like you car, G-Park allows you to bookmark where you left your vehicle. No more roaming around aimlessly like a Seinfeld episode. And for all of you early adopters who ran out last year and paid three times as much for the old iPhone as this years model, don’t despair. While your phone doesn’t have GPS like this years model it will still work due to cell tower triangulation and WiFi. So while your phone is sooooo ten minutes ago, you will still be able to find your car.

So cheers to all of you who managed to get your new toy despite line ups and servers crashes. I would do the same for one week in a Pagani Zonda.

One week is all I ask...

Also check out this really good article that discusses which vehicles are iPhone friendly.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/07/what-cars-are-i.html

Part two: Buick Enclave Road Test

Kay — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:21:43 +0000

by Kay Layne

A few years ago, if you told anyone that General Motors would have a SUV or CUV that would compete against Lexus, you would have been laughed at or place in a mental institution. Fast forward to 2008 and Buick is winning award after award for its Enclave.

The Enclave is a full size luxury crossover that seats seven to eight people. Built on the same platform as the Saturn Outlook and the GMC Acadia, it is a massive yet stylish people mover.

On the road, the CUV surprised me with its stability and handling. I was expecting “floaty”, “land-yacht” like ride but the suspension was bang on. It stuck well in the corners considering its size, and the electronic stability system was more than adequate. Uneven, pothole riddled roads were barely noticeable.

This Buick is powered by 3.6-litre DOHC V6 VVT engine that produces 275 horses and 251 pounds of torque. While that is nothing to sneeze at, this vehicle weighs almost 2 tons (2 172 kilograms) so for a lead foot like myself it was just a tad sluggish. However, compared to most vehicles its size the acceleration was quite sufficient. Transmission wise, the dual-overhead camshaft engine with 6-speed overdrive is extremely smooth.

With a fuel economy rating of 13.0 L/100 km (city) and 8.3 L/100 km (highway) for FWD models and 13.5 L/100 km (city) and 8.9 L/100 km (highway) for AWD models, this is one of the best ratings for any SUV you would find on the roads today.

The first thing my passengers noticed while being chauffeured was the complete lack of exterior or engine sound. In true luxury fashion, this large CUV is well built and insulated so that the sound system competes with nothing. (Unless you have passengers who like to sing along off key, like I did.)

Two posts ago, I featured an interview with Michael Burton, the man in charge of designing the interior of this vehicle. He claimed that when designing this vehicle a lot of time, money and effort was spent on creating a luxury feel. Now when talking about vehicle interiors, the words “luxury” and “North American” rarely reside in the same sentence. Well, when describing the Enclave’s interior and styling overall, the phrase “You have come a long way baby!” sums it up. I must admit that I am too young to remember Buick’s heydays but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Lots of chrome and wood tastefully clad the dashboard and gaps fit well.

Overall this stylish vehicle was an absolute pleasure to drive. It comes in two models the CX which starts at $40 895 and the CXL which starts at $48 295 (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price).

The lighter side of gas.

Kay — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:56:39 +0000

Cartoons from all over…

Interview with Buick’s Michael Burton

Kay — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:30:59 +0000

By Kay Layne

Part One: Learning about the “Man” who is trying to bring back the brand.

I had the good fortune of chatting with Michael Burton, a Director at General Motors and the man in charge of designing the interior of the Buick Enclave. He is the first black to design for each of the American big three (Ford, Chrysler and General Motors).

Burton grew up just down highway 401 in Lansing, Michigan. The Designer-turned-Director says he lived so close to the GM plant that as a kid, he used to go watch the new vehicles being moved to a nearby parking lot. “Since I was a young child” says Burton, “I had the ambition, the drive and the passion to become an automotive designer.”

At the age of twelve or thirteen, Burton penned a letter including some of his sketches to a human resources representative at General Motors. They got back to him with advice on how to become a designer, which he claims he followed closely. Son of a single mother, who did not know much about becoming a car designer but she made sure he had a mentor who did. He has had several mentors through the years, dating back to his early teens.

Burton has the following advice for anyone thinking about entering the demanding field of automotive design, “There will always be challenges. Now life can either be a stumbling block or a stepping-stone, it depends on your perspective. Appropriate a tenacious spirit and never let anyone stop you.”

His inspiration for the Enclave came from looking back to Buick’s heydays of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. He remembers as a child, his uncles driving in from Chicago in the old Deuce and a Quarters (Electra 225) and Wildcats of the 60’s. “They had a certain, swagger and elegance that stuck in a deep crevice of my mind” Burton recalls. He admits that as of late the Buick brand had become somewhat lethargic and geriatric.

The designer says he worked with a young team, so before they even picked up a pen, they took a look back at vintage Buicks and then moved forward. A concept he calls “heritage forward.” The team also studied the interiors of Rolls Royce, Bentley and private jets. “I was very disenchanted that Europeans and Asians were beating us at our own game” says Burton. “A lot of the Asian designers came to America, be it at General Motors or Ford and learnt. Then went back and beat us at our own game.” He claims that he wants anyone driving the Enclave to have the fit and the feel as if they were driving an European car but with a historical American flair.